According
to the Bible, there are three purposes for the gifts and abilities
we’re given.

1.
To glorify God

2.
To bless others

3.
To produce wealth for us.

The
first two are no-brainers for Christians. But that third one is tough
for some to swallow. It’s easy to understand the desire to bless
others, not to mention share our faith and spread the gospel.
However, God wants us not only to use the gifts He’s given us for
His glory, but also to bless us
through those gifts.

Some
writers feel weird about accepting payment for their writing. For
some reason, they feel writing is different than offering services
for, say, counseling or painting or plumbing. I’ve always found it
interesting that writers—Christian writers in particular—feel
that they should give away their work. Like God will be mad at them
if they charge someone for a devotional.

But
as we’re told in Deuteronomy 8:18:

“But
remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to
produce wealth…” (NIV)

There
it is. God gives us the ability to be successful with the gifts and
talents with which He created us. Of course, we should never forget
that it is God who has provided us with those talents, and we need to
give Him the credit for any success we achieve.